Thursday, 31 May 2012

The beautiful sunshine in London over the past week or so has left me craving a garden of my own to curate and tender to under the warm summer sunshine. So you can imagine my delight when I happened upon this 'shed chic' window display in The Conran Shop here in London. How chic and striking is the black and lime green colour combination of the sheds themselves? I'd never have considered a black she before seeing these but I think they look great! The visual merchandising team have done an outstanding job of displaying their garden product in an inspiring manner. I especially like the little window shelf with the terracotta pots filled with succulents under bell jars. To me there's something magical and playful about exploring the sheds within the windows. Creative window displays are so inspiring, don't you think?!// The Conran Shop

Today I'm bringing you a sneak peek of British brand Joules' debut bed and bath collection for kids and adults, which launches in August. The collection is a collaboration with Bedeck and reflects the iconic British countryside, with inspirations pulled from outdoor pursuits including sailing, gardening, rugby and equestrian activities. Having seen all the pieces in person last week I can safely say that the quality is on point, with each design soft to the touch and excellent details upon the cushions such as embroidery, appliqué and ribbon detailing. I also love that the children's designs come in single and double sizes, so that kid-ults like Mr. Bazaar (!) can also buy the pieces. I love the colourful dots seen on the reverse of the Piggy Cat Farm design and the Strongman cushion from the Circus collection is very fun and ideal for a little boy's room. From the adult collection I'm drawn to the Sunbird Floral and Coastal Birds designs. Which pieces and designs do you like best, folks?// Joules

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

This kitchen and dining area is part of a home in Hackney, East London, an area which has steadily been increasing in both popularity and gentrification across the last ten years. The owners, artist Francis Upritchard and her husband furniture designer Martino Gamper have gradually added to the space during the six years that they've been living there. The flat is actually part of a ex-Council (public housing) block but you'd never know given the warehouse feel and beautiful windows within the space. The kitchen details a palette of rustic browns, fresh greens, Prussian blue and bright yellow and orange. Upon the floor rugs from Morocco continue the colourful theme, adding warmth and texture as they do. My personal standout piece? Without a doubt it has to be the colourful cabinetry. But in all honesty, this whole space is packed with personality, colour, texture and warmth, all of which are key features to making a winning space. What do you like about this kitchen space?// NY Times magazine | Photography: Tom Mannion

Monday, 28 May 2012

1. The beautiful architecture of this mansion in North London.2. Taking a peaceful moment to myself as I sat under this pergola with the sun streaming through the wooden slats.3. Loved this bright turquoise door; it was perfect for the blue sky weather we had this weekend.4. Stopping for supplies at the deli to cook up an Italian feast!5. Fell for these sweet little ceramics.6. Enjoyed my walk through Hampstead Heath on Sunday afternoon - it was so hot!7. How fun are these British themed greetings cards by Nancy & Betty Studio? Perfect for the upcoming Jubilee!8. Like the stripes on this tie.9. Tempted to get these washed mango table lamps.10. These colourful bamboo bowls need an extended date with Mr. Bazaar's kitchen!

Thursday, 24 May 2012

The weather in London for the past few days has been scorching, hotter than many Mediterranean countries even! Did you just fall off your chair? London and scorching hot weather in the same sentence? I know, it turns out pigs do fly! Well, this beautiful weather we've been lucky to have has left me dreaming of visiting a seaside escape to cool down next to the soothing sound of the crashing waves. As the seaside escape remains a dream for now, I'm happy to serve up some tapas treats on my new Vernazza plates. I love their hand painted and colourful nature - those blue hues are seriously my thing! What little tabletop treats make you happy?// Vernazza plates | Coastal scene

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

I was smitten from the moment these snaps of Kella's bathroom remodel landed in my inbox. There's something inspiring about seeing a dramatic transformation of a space in this before and after manner, isn't there? Photojournalist Kella created a colourful and industrial bathroom space that details turquoise tongue and groove panelling which gives a beach feel that is balanced through the introduction of subway tiles. Further industrial details are added through a factory pendant and wire storage units. The result is a space that manages to feel colourful and vibrant yet fresh and stylish at the same time. A thumbs up from Mr. Bazaar!// Photography and makeover by Kella MacPhee

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Sometimes with colour it's best not to over think things. Instead, just pick a few of your favourite hues and dive on into your colour journey. Despite its bright hues this kitchen maintains an air of simplicity because the colour is applied in a colour block style. Two shades of orange are teamed with a matt pink (those two are like best buds!) and the fresh yellow breaks the flow, stopping the scheme from feeling too forced. I love this stylish yet bold use of colour. Isn't it wonderful how much personality and pizazz colour can add to a space?!// Photography by Jean-Marc Wullschleger | Living Agency for Real Living

Monday, 21 May 2012

1. Yellow front doors are my favourite, especially on houses that look as charming as this one does!2. Enjoying shopping for a blazer in Zara on Saturday.3. How awesome is this barber shop themed shower curtain?4. I'd love to have some of these oil burners if I had a pond.5. Walked past this vintage car on Sunday and I couldn't not include it because I loved it!6. I'm so pleased with my new Neapolitan stripe iPad case.7. These tissue paper pom poms would be ideal for a Jubilee party.8. I'm going to use this tote as a beach bag.9. Going to save up for these trainers!10. How adorable are these herb pots?

Saturday, 19 May 2012

Yesterday I headed over to Completely London to write about how my perspective of London changed once I moved into the city to live a few years ago. I hadn't really thought about it in great detail before I wrote the piece, but afterwards I realised how much my view of this great metropolis had changed. If you wish, you can read the full piece and see more of my snaps here. I hope you all have a smashing weekend. Any fun plans?// Photography by Will Taylor

Friday, 18 May 2012

What a Friday treat we have here, folks! One of my lovely sponsors, Rose & Grey, are kindly offering all Bright.Bazaar readers 15% off their entire store with the code RGBBO15. They recently relaunched their website and it's well worth checking out. I hopped on over and these four items were seriously pulling at my decor-loving heartstrings. I mean, those Government chairs are just the right amount of retro. Fabulous! (Pssst! They ship almost all their products internationally, too!) Happy Friday, friends.

Wednesday, 16 May 2012

I've waxed lyrical about the gold leaf colourway of the Mr. Bright chair before, so imagine my delight when I discovered that John Lewis had added a further nine cracking colour options to the chair collection. I love the aubergine option, but I'd love to know which colour gets your vote?

Tuesday, 15 May 2012

I loved this recent shopping story in Livingetcwhere the team grouped together some of the latest homeware buys by their colour. Want to know a not-so-secret secret? 'Warm Yellow' has to be my favourite! Well, given I own a number of the items in the shoot, including the limited edition yellow Billy bookcase (which I snapped up after writing about here) and the dipped yellow terracotta pot seen upon it, it couldn't really not come in at my number one spot. That said, Inky Blue and Hot Scarlet are also fighting for Mr. Bazaar's affections. The Oka rugs in the former are striking statement pieces that wouldn't need to fight their way into my home, and the 'J' print from Liberty is flirting with my typographical side. As for the little red stool, well that's also super cute! Which look is for you, friends - Warm Yellow, Inky Blue or Hot Scarlet?// Livingetc, May 2012 | Photography by Chris Everard & Simon Bevan | Styling by Milly Goodwin; assisted by Holly Sneezum & Eloise James